Childhood Classics
by the-vampire-act
Summary: OneShot;Winnie the Pooh prompt Summary: Reid embarks on an adventure like no other:childhood- Henry's childhood.


**A/N: Anyone else planning to see Winnie the Pooh?**

**Childhood Classics **

"**It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"" - Winnie the Pooh**

_Spencer Reid almost smiled as he read from the childish book. He could hear his mother mumbling some odd sentences to herself, though he was more than positive that she thought she was talking to actual people. Today he didn't mind, though, because he had found something better to focus on other than his growing concerns over his mother's 'condition'. The book had found him, actually, and it had found him on accident. The small child had been looking through his father's old books the day after he had left him and his mother, where the silver and gold-bound book had stood out almost immediately to him. So he reached up and took the book into his hands, smiling at the smell of old, worn leather and the sight of faded, lightly torn pages. _

"_No, I don't want tea. Thank you for asking, though," his mother suddenly said just a bit too loudly. Spencer ignored her, though. He had found a new treasure and planned on discovering it in whole. So he took the story collection and took off to his room. _

"_NO! What are you doing? I. Don't. Want. TEA! Wait, you work for them, don't you? You work for THEM!" Shortly after that the sound of dishes crashing and being thrown on the floor echoed through the house. Spencer cringed and tried to pay no attention to it, but he just couldn't anymore. Tears started forming as he read the pages, his mind numbly running through the statistics of schizophrenia being passed down from parent to child. _

"_Leave me alone! Get out my house! The government is NOT welcomed here!" _

_Spencer's tears grew wildly as her screaming and her crashing grew louder and louder. He wanted her to stop- he _needed _her to stop! Knowing too well that she wouldn't the young child took a deep breath and just continued reading, pretending that none of it bothered him in the slightest. _

**~*Childhood Classics *~**

It had been the one normal childhood book he had read. It had been an easy read, sure, but for some reason it was one that he had secretly loved the most. Soon enough he had moved on to more advanced books and even the occasional textbook, but in the back of his mind when he was alone he'd recite his favorite quotes from the precious little storybook.

So when SSA Dr. Spencer Reid was called by JJ to ask if he would take Henry- and possibly Jack, apparently- to see Winnie the Pooh, he had without a doubt and with no hesitation said yes. "Can I come over to see him today? I have something to give him."

"Spence, it's not his birthday or anything," JJ had laughed.

"I know that-eidetic memory, remember?" Spencer rolled his eyes in response.

"Alright, if it means that much to you," JJ smiled. "We'll see you later."

Seconds later Spencer rushed to his bedroom and opened the first drawer on his dresser. Smiling down at the contents that laid inside he rearranged some things so he could grab what he needed to bring to JJ's house. He didn't bother wrapping it, instead deciding to put the object into a reusable bag. He figured that JJ would appreciate an extra bag, as he remembered hearing her complain about how she never had enough bags anymore. The young agent looked up at the clock on his wall to see how much time he had before he should leave. Seeing that he had enough time to run to the store really quick he smiled and raced out the door.

A few minutes later Spencer was parked in front of a Meijer with a growing sense of uncertainty. He suddenly regretted ever coming up, but since he had already arrived he figured that he mine as well just get what he needed and leave. Spencer walked inside and spotted the section he had been hoping to find almost immediately. Walking up to the aisle he looked around for the right stuffed animal. Smiling as his eyes were graced with the exact stuffed animal he had been hoping to find he paused and frowned. Right next to it was a set of smaller stuffed animals that looked equally enjoyable. With the smaller animals his godson could set up little stories about all the characters, but with the large stuffed animal he could cuddle it and use it to help him sleep at night, just like he had whenever his mother was… _unable _to put him to bed. His frown grew as the dilemma grew. Which one would Henry like best? Deciding that he did not yet have enough experience with children to make the decision on his own and not wanting JJ to know what he had planned he looked around for someone who might know what would be the better choice.

Apparently he didn't have to, though.

"Uh, excuse me sir, but I couldn't help but see you staring down that Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal and the set of all the different characters in the story."

Spencer whipped around to see a brunette woman with a child in a stroller and a toddler bouncing around the cart. He smiled at her, obviously glad to have her help. "Uh, yeah. I'm looking to get one for my godson, but I just don't know which one…?"

"Get the smaller set," she smiled. "They're easier to clean for one thing, and then he'll be able to set up little scenarios with all the characters and whatnot. And because they're not made out of the more expensive material like the bigger one is, it's a little cheaper and you can get the matching Winnie the Pooh blanket." The woman leaned over from her cart and picked up a baby blue mini blanket with the characters of Winnie the Pooh on them. "See? It's on sale for $2.95, and the other set was six dollars more, so you still get more for your money."

"Thank you so much," Spencer smiled thankfully as the woman passed the stuffed animal set and the blanket to him. "Henry will love them!"

"It's no problem; I've done this more times than I can remember! Good luck with your godson." With a polite wave she walked away, and Spencer headed off toward the cash register.

Twenty minutes later Spencer was smiling on JJ's doorstep with a Winnie the Pooh bag full of Winnie the Pooh themed items.

"Spence! Come in," she greeted. Spencer and JJ walked back into the house to see Henry and Will sitting on the couch, obviously expecting him. JJ leaned down to pick Henry up before passing him off to Spencer, who more than willingly took hold of him.

"Here, let me take that bag from you," Will grinned. "Winnie the Pooh I see- Henry will love it."

"Yes, thank you Spence. You didn't have to-"

"I know," Spencer laughed. "I just wanted to give my godson something special."

"Well have a seat and you can show them to him," JJ smiled. Spencer sat down with Henry on his lap as Will passed the Winnie bag over to him.

"Let's see what you have, Henry!" Spencer silently cooed. He pulled out the blanket first, and Henry's eyes automatically lit up. Amazed the baby reached out to grab it, and after he removed the tags Spencer gave it to him.

"Wow, that's a nice blanket," JJ smiled. "Thanks, he already loves it!"

"And then there's the…" Spencer mumbled as he pulled out the reusable box filled with the small stuffed animal set. "These!" Henry made a small 'o' shape with his mouth and clapped his hands.

"Those are neat! I haven't seen those yet," Will commented.

"Yeah, I think they just came in this week because of the movie," Spencer grinned. "And then there's one last thing…." Seconds later Spencer pulled out a classic edition of Winnie the Pooh from his own childhood. Henry smiled and giggled at it, obviously happy with his new 'toys'. "I used to read this same book when I was a kid," Spencer explained. "It-it helped me get by when my mother was having a bad day," he added a bit more solemnly.

"Well, you won't have that problem anymore," JJ smiled supportively. "It was a lovely gesture; Henry loves them."

"Hey, why don't you read him a story now?" Will suggested. "It's about his bedtime, anyways…"

"That'd be great!" JJ nodded. "He loves stories."

"Okay," Spencer nodded. "I-I think I can do that." Seconds later JJ and Will took the bag away and cleared off the couch for Spencer and Henry. Will gave Henry the blanket as JJ passed Spencer the book. The stuffed animals, however, he placed back in the bag.

"You ready?" JJ asked softly, the concern about his childhood memories obvious in her tone.

Henry settled himself and his blanket on Spencer's lap, waiting expectedly for his godfather to start reading the story. Pushing down his feelings and ready to embrace the story, Spencer took and deep breath and opened with the first line.

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it."

~*Childhood Classics *~

**A/N: So I had to Google some things like the first line of the story-which yes, is Edward Bear!- the merchandize, to make sure there are Meijer's in VA, and I had to ask some people their opinion about the whole 'which stuffed animal is best?' Thanks for reading all! It was a blast to write.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Winnie the Pooh or the original quote at the end. **


End file.
